The Bossier banner., 1887-05-19
General Lee.

VINO snall ever Iatnom tu0 uePGu
OF Lees anguish when the bitter end
came, and when, beaten down by
sheer force Of numbers, and by abso-
lutely nothing else, he found him
self obliged to surrender The hand
full of starving men remaining with
him laid down their arms, and the
proud Confederacy ceased to be-
Surely the crushing, maddening an
guish of awful sorrow is only known
to the leader who has SO failed to ac-
complish some lofty, some noble aim
for which he has long striven with
might and main, with heart and soul
in the interest or king or Of country.
A smiling face, q cheerful manner,
may conceal the sore place from the
eyes, possibly even from the knowl-
edge of his friends; but there is no
healing for such a wound, which eats
into the very heart of him who has
once received it.
Gen. Lee survived the destruction
of the Confederacy for five years,
when, at the age of 60, and surround
ed by his family, life ebbed slowly
from him. Where else in history is
a great man to be found whose whole
life was one such blameless record of
duty nobly done? It was consistent
in all its parts, complete in all its re-
lations. The most perfect gentleman
Of State long celebrated for it's
chivalry, he was just, gentle. and
| generous, and child-like in the sim
plicity of his character. Never elated
with success, he bore reverse, and at
last complete overthrow, with digni-
fed resignation. Throughout this
long and cruel struggle his was all
the responsibility, but not the power
that should have accompanied it.
| The fierce light which beats upon
the throne is as that of a rushlight
in comparison with the electric glare
| which our newspapers now focus upon
the public man in Lees position. His
character has been subjected to that
ordeal, and who can point to any spot
upon ita His clear, sound Judgment,
personal courage, untiring activity,
genius for war, and absolute devotion
to his State mark him out as public
man, as patriot to be forever re-
membered by all Americans. His
amiability of disposition, deep sym.
pathy with those in pain or sorrow,
his love for children, nice sense oi
personal honor and genial courtesy
endeared him to all his friends. ]
shall never forget his sweet face, win.
ming smile, nor his clear, honest eyes
that seemed to look into your heart
while they searched your brain.
have met many Of the great men oi
my time, but Lee alone impressed
me with the feeling that I was in the
presence of q man who was cast in a
grander mould, and made of different
, and of finer metal than all other men.
He is stamped upon my memory as .
being apart and superior to all others
in every way: man with whom none
I ever knew, and very few of whom
I have read, are worthy to be classed
I have met but two men who realize
my ideas of what true hero should
be: my friend Charles Gordon wat
one, General Lee was the other.
When all the angry feelings reused
by Secession are buried with those
which existed when the Declaration
Of Independence was written, wher
Americans can review the history ot
their last great rebellion with calm
impartiality, / believe all will admit
that General Lee lowered far above
all men on either side in that strug
gle: / believe he will be regarded no
only as the most prominent figure o
: the Confederacy, but as the grea
} American of the nineteenth century